FIMA Ch11: Thoughs

The second period, math class, ended quickly.

The homeroom teacher came to the classroom, drove all the students out, and welcomed in the parents who had taken time out of their busy schedules to attend.

Gu Siyuan, the only person in the entire grade with absolutely no pressure regarding college admissions, had no parents and didn’t need to attend either. He simply went back to his dorm to continue writing his program; making money was as urgent as putting out a fire.

The parents sat in their children’s seats, experiencing being students once again. Some of them were old acquaintances from work. Taking advantage of the time before the meeting officially started, they were casually chatting.

“President Zhao, long time no see!” Xie Chengfeng greeted a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, his face covered in smiles.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before realizing who it was. He smiled distantly, “Ah, it’s President Xie of Yayun Pavilion, isn’t it?”

Yayun Pavilion was once a somewhat famous, time-honored antique and art shop in A City. Although its profits hadn’t been very good in previous years, because its sources were clean and its goods were authentic, it had an excellent reputation locally.

However, in recent years, it was said that it had changed owners and began targeting the lower-end market. Its business conditions had steadily improved, but its prestige had dropped.

Those in the city who considered themselves to have some status were no longer very willing to patronize it.

However, for the shop owner, it was hard to say which path was actually better. In every gain and loss, there is a predetermined fate.

“That’s me,” Xie Chengfeng said, his smile not diminishing in the slightest. He continued, “What a coincidence. I didn’t expect your child and mine to actually be classmates.”

One doesn’t slap a smiling face. President Zhao also replied with a smile, “I’m just too busy. Usually, it’s the child’s mother who comes to these parent-teacher meetings. But seeing as the kid is already a high school senior and his studies are still lacking, I wanted to have a detailed talk with the teacher.”

“Yes, you are a very busy man,” Xie Chengfeng continued to flatter.

Seeing Xie Chengfeng’s relaxed face, without the slightest worry about his child’s grades, President Zhao asked, “President Xie’s child must be very well-behaved, right?”

“Sigh, his personality is quite awkward. It’s just his grades that are passable,” Xie Chengfeng waved his hand.

President Zhao narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said with some pleasant surprise, “I just looked at the grade rankings posted next to the blackboard. The kid in third place seems to share your surname, President Xie…”

Xie Chengfeng nodded, unable to hide his smile. “That’s my eldest.”

The smile on President Zhao’s face deepened. “Sigh, if my brat could get even half of his score, I’d be satisfied…”

Xie Chengfeng acted flattered. “President Zhao is too polite. He’s just an Omega. No matter how good his grades are, his future is pretty much set.”

“An Omega with such good grades is even harder to come by. The child is very smart,” President Zhao praised with a dry laugh. One can criticize one’s own child, but others cannot.

The parents in the classroom were socializing quite happily.

Outside the classroom in the hallway, the students gathered in small groups had very different moods.

Huo Yi stood next to Xie Qingxiao, his upper body leaning against the balcony railing. He said in a despairing tone, “I’m going to die. When I go back tonight, my mom is definitely going to pull my ear and lecture me.”

Xie Qingxiao said, “You’re just too lazy. Didn’t the teacher also say that you’re very smart, but you just don’t like to study, which is why your grades are like this?”

Huo Yi scoffed and said very honestly, “Heh, I think you’re overthinking it. Don’t I know how much I weigh myself? If I were truly smart, I wouldn’t need the teacher to tell me; I would have studied seriously long ago. My laziness now is just giving myself a psychological way out. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be blatantly admitting that I’m just incredibly stupid, which is why I scored so low?”

“A very unique way of putting it.” Xie Qingxiao gave a thumbs up.

Innate intelligence is not superior to others; acquired hard work is more worthy of pursuit.

“Your leg is injured?” Right at this moment, a deep male voice suddenly sounded in the ears of the two who were chatting happily.

Xie Qingxiao looked up at the newcomer, raised his eyebrows, and didn’t speak.

Huo Yi curled his lip. “Isn’t this Young Master Shen Ting?”

Shen Ting ignored Huo Yi and continued to ask Xie Qingxiao, “Did you get injured on the basketball court on Saturday?”

Huo Yi sneered. “I thought you were blind. So you finally managed to see it?”

Shen Ting frowned, and at the same time, looked displeased at Xie Qingxiao.

Of course, he knew that Huo Yi had such an attitude towards him to defend Xie Qingxiao.

Therefore, he didn’t need to pay attention to Huo Yi at all. Since Huo Yi was Xie Qingxiao’s friend, the current situation was a problem that Xie Qingxiao should solve, if Xie Qingxiao still wanted to continue communicating with him.

Xie Qingxiao had been observing Shen Ting with interest. At this moment, feeling the emotion in Shen Ting’s gaze, he couldn’t help but let out a strange laugh directly.

Indeed, in the past, he wouldn’t even need Shen Ting’s eye signals. Just hearing Huo Yi speak in such a tone, Xie Qingxiao would quietly change the subject. He had never been willing to let Shen Ting be embarrassed or lose face.

But now… heh.

Looking at his smile, Shen Ting’s face darkened slightly, and his gaze became more impatient. “What are you laughing at? Can’t you say something, yes or no…”

Xie Qingxiao continued to smile. He raised his hand to tuck the hair by his cheek behind his ear and said softly, “Say what? Say right, say yes, I did get injured on the basketball court the evening before yesterday.”

“But Shen Ting, you ran away so fast and so resolutely that day, and even when we met again later, you didn’t notice my leg was injured. So what’s the point of asking now? To give your own conscience peace?”

Shen Ting frowned.

He didn’t expect that Xie Qingxiao, who had always been soft-spoken and extremely ingratiating in front of him, could actually be so sharp with his words.

Just because he didn’t notice his injury, such a small matter? How boring.

Shen Ting scoffed, too lazy to continue communicating, and turned around to leave.

He was with Xie Qingxiao without any intention of truly dating him in the first place, so needing to say an extra sentence or spend a little more thought was all annoying to him. He was even less in the mood to play these games of acting spoiled or having cold wars.

And in fact, until just now, Shen Ting hadn’t even noticed the minor matter of Xie Qingxiao’s leg injury. Even if he had noticed, given his personality, he usually wouldn’t take the initiative to ask about it.

It was just that Lu Jiayang noticed Xie Qingxiao’s mobility was impaired. Thinking about how they had run off first the day before yesterday, he felt somewhat guilty and persuaded Shen Ting to come over and ask.

Watching Shen Ting’s retreating back, Huo Yi was so angry he almost jumped up. “What kind of attitude is that? Is there something wrong with his brain? Who asked him to come over? Who begged him to come over? What’s with that weird, sarcastic laugh?”

“Yeah, he probably is sick.” Xie Qingxiao seemed completely unaffected by Shen Ting’s sudden departure. He leisurely leaned on the balcony, propped his chin with his hand, and nodded, his tone calm.

Huo Yi turned his head, observed Xie Qingxiao, and nodded in satisfaction.

Xie Qingxiao had really grown up. He was no longer that idiot who treated Shen Ting like the apple of his eye.

Xie Qingxiao felt the deep meaning in his gaze and couldn’t help but smile.

He then slightly narrowed his beautiful eyes and casually glanced at a certain spot.

Shen Ting had just left looking displeased, but now he was already beaming under Lu Jiayang’s comforting.

Huo Yi followed his gaze and clearly saw this scene as well. He said indignantly, “His relationship with his good brother is so good, he might as well just spend the rest of his life with his good brother. Why bother dating?”

Xie Qingxiao laughed again, but his tone was like dead water, without any fluctuation: “Yeah, how do you know he doesn’t want to?”

“What did you say?…” Huo Yi’s eyes widened in amazement.

…

About an hour and a half later, the parents attending the meeting in the classroom walked out one after another.

The hallway was noisy and clamorous.

A few parents with explosive tempers couldn’t wait to go home and just grabbed their little monkeys for a scolding right there.

Xie Qingxiao narrowed his eyes at Xie Chengfeng, who was pulling someone and talking cheerfully not far away. For some reason, he had a bad premonition.

Soon, Xie Chengfeng pushed through the crowd and arrived in front of Xie Qingxiao.

Then, he gave him a mysterious look. In that gaze, there was actually a rare hint of kindness and satisfaction. This was truly an existence akin to red rain falling from the sky.

Xie Chengfeng lowered his voice and asked, “I just heard someone say that you are dating the young master of the Shen family?”

Xie Qingxiao narrowed his eyes. “Yes, who said that?”

Xie Chengfeng scolded softly with a secret joy, “What’s wrong with you? Since you are dating Young Master Shen, why didn’t you tell your dad?”

“Who said that?” Xie Qingxiao frowned in displeasure.

Seeing his reaction, Xie Chengfeng’s joy dissipated quite a bit. He said stiffly, “What, I’m your dad, can’t I know? Have your wings really hardened?”

After saying that, he didn’t care about Xie Qingxiao’s reaction anymore and began busily searching around for Shen Ting’s figure, wanting to go over and say hello or something, but he couldn’t see anyone.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He pointed at a certain place and said, “Is that Madam Shen’s bag?”

Xie Qingxiao nodded lazily. “Seems to be.”

“You child, then why aren’t you hurrying to bring it over and leave a good impression? So clumsy…” Xie Chengfeng scolded and urged.

Xie Qingxiao didn’t want to go over.

However, compared to being neurotically lectured by Xie Chengfeng, and potentially having him do something embarrassing, he’d rather go deliver the bag.

The setting sun cast its light on Beichuan High School’s well-designed Western-style building, looking as exquisite and elegant as an oil painting.

Under the secluded corridor of the building, someone was talking.

Mother Shen held Shen Ting’s arm and said softly, “Although I knew you were dating early on, I only just formally saw what he looks like. It’s that pretty Omega you were talking to in the hallway earlier, right?”

“Mm,” Shen Ting replied casually.

“Shen Ting, since you were young, your father and I haven’t restricted you much, but I must say, your taste in Omegas is open to question.”

“For a family like ours, it would be a lie to say we have no requirements for the other party, but we don’t necessarily demand identical family backgrounds either. It’s just… I’m used to seeing those people who climb up from the bottom. The moment I saw his eyes, I knew this person isn’t that complacent. His thoughts are extremely heavy and deep. Will you be able to control him in the future…”

Her voice and tone seemed incredibly gentle and accommodating, but the condescending disdain in her words and eyes was hard to conceal.

Hearing this, Shen Ting didn’t refute or defend. He just smiled lightly, draped his arm over his mother’s shoulder, and said, “Alright, Mom. It’s just a casual romance to kill time. Is there a need to think so deeply? You’re even bringing up the future. Go back and find a few aunties to drink tea and get beauty treatments!”

“You, ah, you… as long as you know what you’re doing.” Her son had his own ideas since childhood, and she and his father had never interfered. However, Mother Shen couldn’t help but sigh helplessly again, “…Sigh, what a pity Jiayang isn’t an Omega.”

Shen Ting smiled obediently.

In the warm early winter sun, the atmosphere between the two was harmonious, presenting a beautiful picture of a loving mother and a filial son.

At the corner, Xie Qingxiao leaned against a thick pillar, casually holding and swinging the strap of a leather bag in his hand. His facial expression was unpredictable; he seemed to be smiling, but upon closer look, it didn’t quite seem so.

He just suddenly remembered the words Gong Li had said to him when they argued yesterday afternoon.

“You, an Omega, so young, yet your mind is so deep and scheming…”

Actually, she wasn’t wrong.

He had a deep and scheming mind to begin with.

Right at this moment, Xie Qingxiao felt his shoulder suddenly get patted lightly.

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